Tuesday, April 9, 2024
10–10:30 a.m. 

Interview with the USCG Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics 

Rear Adm. Amy Grable
Chief Engineer, U.S. Coast Guard 

Rear Adm. Amy Grable assumed the duties as the Assistant Commandant for Engineering and Logistics in June 2023. As the Coast Guard’s “Chief Engineer,” she is responsible for all civil, aeronautical, naval and industrial engineering, including logistics, environmental and energy considerations for the service’s 25,000 facilities, 2,100 cutters and boats and 200 aircraft. Leading a 5,600-member workforce assigned across Coast Guard Headquarters, Aviation Logistics Center, Surface Forces Logistics Center, Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center and Coast Guard Yard, she is responsible for developing, deploying and maintaining resources necessary to sustain service capabilities and support Coast Guard missions. Rear Adm. Grable will discuss her current priorities, the future of Coast Guard engineering and logistics and take questions from the audience. 

Tuesday, April 9, 2024
10:30–11 a.m.  

Interview with the USCG Commander of the Personnel Service Center

Rear Adm. Russell Dash
Commander, Personnel Service Center, U.S. Coast Guard 

Rear Adm. Dash assumed command of the Coast Guard Personnel Service Center in May 2023 and is responsible for executing the Coast Guard’s human resource policies by recruiting, accessing, assigning, developing careers, maintaining well-being, compensating, separating and retiring the nearly 45,000 members of the active duty and reserve workforces. Rear Adm. Dash will discuss innovations in recruiting and talent management, the future of the Coast Guard workforce and take questions from the audience. 

Tuesday, April 9, 2024
11–11:30 a.m. 

USCG: Ready Today, Preparing for Tomorrow

Capt. John J. Driscoll
Chief, Office of Cutter Forces, U.S. Coast Guard

From the Western Rivers to the Great Lakes, from the U.S. maritime borders to the Polar Regions, and from the Arabian Gulf to the Indo-Pacific, Coast Guard cutters are deployed not just domestically, but conduct operations across the globe. The Office of Cutter Forces is responsible for shipboard capability and training requirements and policies. Capt. Driscoll will discuss current mission demands on the fleet, changes to cutter force structure and efforts to prepare for challenges of the future.

Tuesday, April 9, 2024
11:30 a.m.–noon 

Coast Guard Unmanned Systems Experimentation & Lessons Learned  

Capt. Thom C. Remmers
Unmanned Systems Cross-Functional Team Lead under the Assistant Commandant for Capabilities, U.S. Coast Guard 

After publication of the Unmanned Systems Strategic Plan, the Coast Guard has conducted field deployments and experimentation of unmanned systems and other technologies to prove maritime domain awareness and determine their effectiveness. This presentation will summarize some of those efforts, along with complementary efforts currently underway now and those planned for the future, to remain “Always Ready” to leverage these innovative capabilities in this fast-evolving technology space. 

Tuesday, April 9, 2024
1–1:30 p.m. 

Combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing 

Cmdr. Patricia Bennett
Chief, Coast Guard Fisheries Enforcement Policy (CG-MLE-4). 

Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a global problem, often conducted by actors with malevolent economic and geopolitical intentions, in a vast maritime domain governed by a patchwork of bilateral and multilateral agreements offering limited oversight and remedial capability. In the last two years, the U.S. Maritime SAFE Act Interagency Working Group (IWG) released its Five-Year Strategy for Combating IUU Fishing. As a tri-chair to the IWG, the Coast Guard continues to enhance at-sea enforcement capabilities of its strategic partners while also encouraging the use of analytical tools and non-governmental organizations to make informed operational decisions that seek to disrupt and dismantle malign networks engaged in IUU fishing and potentially other illicit activities. 

Tuesday, April 9, 2024
1:45–2:15 p.m. 

USCG Climate Framework and Implementation 

Ms. Candace Nachman
Senior Ocean Policy and Program Adviser, Polar Coordination Office, U.S. Coast Guard 

In February 2023, the Coast Guard released its first-ever Climate Framework, which contains three lines of effort that focus on preparedness, resilience and collaboration with partners and stakeholders to position the Coast Guard to meet the challenges imposed by climate change. Climate change will continue to impact Coast Guard missions, infrastructure and people. The Service is working with partners and stakeholders to build resiliency into its people, facilities and mission readiness. The Coast Guard already has more than 50 initiatives underway to respond to the Framework’s lines of effort. To further break down silos, the Coast Guard is establishing a new Climate Policy Working Group.

Tuesday, April 9, 2024
2:30–3 p.m.  

USCG: Partnerships & Collaboration with Industry

Capt. Andrew T. Pecora
Commander, Surface Forces Logistics Center, U.S. Coast Guard 

A strong defense industrial base and strong partnerships are needed for the Coast Guard to be successful in defending the homeland. The new fleet replacing the legacy fleet is larger, heavier and more complex. The Coast Guard already sees challenges with having sufficient industry capacity to bid on and perform necessary maintenance work. With extended continuing resolutions becoming the new normal, planners need to account for a shorter execution period as they build out their schedules. In the face of these challenges, the Coast Guard and industry have a shared interest in finding ways to collaborate to address national security needs. Supply chain risks must be mitigated, reasonable sharing of data rights must occur and expansion of additive manufacturing is a must. Developing maintenance processes that show promise to meet Coast Guard requirements, reducing schedule and costs and optimizing the component, system or asset service lives are needed. Additionally, a systematic and disciplined approach to modernizing data is required to create metrics and dashboards for risk-based decisions, optimize maintenance and better manage the configuration of assets. 

Monday, April 8, 2024
10–10:30 a.m.  

Interview with the USCG Commander of the Pacific Area 

Vice Adm. Andrew J. Tiongson 
Commander, Pacific Area and Defense Force West, U.S. Coast Guard 

Vice Adm. Tiongson assumed command of Coast Guard Pacific Area in Alameda, California, in July 2022. Vice Adm. Tiongson serves as the operational commander responsible for all Coast Guard missions westward from the Rocky Mountains across the Indo-Pacific, Arctic and Antarctic regions to the coast of eastern Africa. He concurrently serves as Commander, Defense Force West and provides Coast Guard operational support to the Department of Defense and Combatant Commanders. During his interview, he will discuss the Coast Guard operational landscape, current areas of focus and take questions from the audience. 

Monday, April 8, 2024
10:30–11 a.m.  

Modernizing Coast Guard Aviation

Cmdr. Peter Maloney
Deputy Chief, Office of Aviation Forces, U.S. Coast Guard 

The Office of Aviation Forces is responsible for providing Coast Guard aviation with capability in the form of resources, doctrine, oversight and training programs to support safe and effective execution of Coast Guard missions worldwide.  Cmdr. Maloney will discuss the efforts and milestones the service is undertaking to modernize its aircraft fleet. 

Monday, April 8, 2024
11–11:30 a.m.  

U.S. Coast Guard Command and Control (C2) Modernization

Capt. Christian Hernaez 
Chief, Office of C5I Capabilities, U.S. Coast Guard 
 
The Coast Guard, along with its Department of Homeland Security and Department of Defense partners, relies extensively on Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) to counter asymmetrical threats posed by adversaries, defend cyber-attacks on the maritime transportation system, maintain joint interoperability in protecting the homeland, ensure maritime transportation safety and aid mariners in distress. The core of MDA is an effective understanding of the global maritime environment, and a fundamental enabler of MDA is the command and control (C2) ability to exercise authority over assigned resources. The Coast Guard employs a decentralized C2 structure to authorize operational commanders’ ability to move forces quickly in response to maritime situations and large contingencies. Operational commanders require accurate, timely and reliable information to make quick decisions and to inform operations. Capt. Hernaez will discuss the Coast Guard’s Next Generation C2 efforts to develop a C2 Operational Data Ecosystem that enables data sharing to improve MDA capabilities, as well as ongoing communications, sensors and infrastructure initiatives. 

Monday, April 8, 2024
11:30 a.m.–noon  

USCG Boats – The Soul of the Service 

Capt. Jason C. Aleksak
Chief, Office of Boat Forces, U.S. Coast Guard 

The Office of Boat Forces’ mission is to “provide integrated policies, resources and training programs to Coast Guard Boat Forces for the safe and effective execution of Coast Guard missions.” Capt. Aleksak will speak about the office’s roles and responsibilities and discuss current and future initiatives. He will highlight the missions that the Coast Guard Boat Forces community executes and its role in keeping the nation and the public safe. 

Monday, April 8, 2024
1–1:30 p.m.  

Interview with the USCG Commander of the Atlantic Area

Vice Adm. Kevin E. Lunday 
Commander, Atlantic Area and Defense Force East, U.S. Coast Guard 

Vice Adm. Lunday assumed the duties as Commander, Atlantic Area in May 2022 and is responsible for directing Coast Guard forces and operations across all mission areas in five districts from the navigable inland waterways east of the Rocky Mountains to the Great Lakes, Gulf Coast and East Coast of the United States throughout the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent parts of the Arctic Ocean to the Arabian Gulf. He also serves as Commander, Coast Guard Defense Forces East, providing Coast Guard support as part of the joint force to the Department of Defense and Combatant Commanders for national defense missions. He is also appointed and serves as the Director, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Joint Task Force East, responsible for coordinating and synchronizing DHS cross-component operations to address threats to the southeast U.S. border and approaches. During his interview he will discuss current priorities, his vision for the future and take questions from the audience. 

Monday, April 8, 2024
1:45–2:15 p.m.  

Overview of the new Polar Coordination Office and Arctic Strategic Outlook Implementation Plan

Mr. David Raboy
Arctic Policy Analyst, Polar Coordination Office, U.S. Coast Guard

The U.S. Coast Guard recently stood up the Polar Coordination Office to develop U.S. Coast Guard Arctic and Antarctic strategy and coordinate Polar affairs across the U.S. Coast Guard Polar enterprise, among other partner agencies and at international forums. In October 2023, the U.S. Coast Guard released its Arctic Strategic Outlook Implementation Plan, made up of 14 interconnected initiatives to execute lines of effort identified in the U.S. Coast Guard Arctic Strategy. Both strategic documents are available at www.uscg.mil/Arctic 

Monday, April 8, 2024
2:30–3 p.m.  

USCG: Maritime Sensing and Data Sharing Across DHS

Capt. Matt Fine
Chief, Office of Shore Forces, U.S. Coast Guard 

The Department of Homeland Security requires the ability to maintain Maritime Domain Awareness across a rapidly changing maritime transportation system, which can be accomplished through multi-layer sensing capabilities and data sharing with partners. DHS components are jointly pursuing a Persistent Wide-Area Maritime Surveillance (PWAMS) project that is a comprehensive system-of-systems to facilitate the surveillance, detection, identification, classification and tracking of maritime objects and surface vessels of various sizes operating on the waters from the U.S. Territorial Sea Baseline to the outer edge of the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone. PWAMS will utilize terrestrial, space-based, fixed, relocatable and autonomous systems and sensors to create a layered system-of-systems to surveil and detect objects in the maritime domain. The data gathered will then be shared across DHS components through the Integrated Multi-Domain Enterprise (IMDE), which is a data transactional platform used to control the flow of unclassified information to and between authorized sources. Together, these programs will ensure each component can efficiently and effectively execute their statutory authorities and responsibilities.